Rush anxious to start afresh after crash

In this file photo, Canadian bobsleigh athletes Lyndon Rush and David Bissett drive in the third round of four in the men's two man bobsleigh at The Whistler Sliding Centre, in Whistler, BC, during the 2010 Olympic Games.

Photograph by: Peter J. Thompson
, Canwest News Service

WHISTLER — Lyndon Rush couldn't wait to get to the Whistler Sliding Centre on Tuesday morning, but this might be his last week on it, or any bobsleigh track.

Rush, who tipped over his Canada 1 sled to scuttle medal hopes in the two-man event Saturday, said the four-man training session "felt like a clean slate."

Then, the 29-year-old driver from Humboldt, Sask., hinted strongly at retirement after the 2010 Olympics.

"I haven't decided what I'm going to do, but my gut tells me I'm done," he said. "I've got two kids and a wife. My responsibility in life is to be a father and a husband before this thing.

"All along, we said when I came out to start this sport we were going to go to 2010, and after that we'll re-evaluate. My gut tells me this is it, but I don't know yet. I'm not thinking about it. We said we're going to make the decision after, and my wife's a really big part of that decision."

Still relatively young for a pilot, Rush was ranked fifth in the two-man and sixth in the four-man this World Cup season.

With Lascelles Brown pushing, he had the two fastest start times in the two-man Saturday, but crashed in corner 13 on his second run.

Rush won the four-man World Cup in Park City, Utah, in November, and finished third in Cesana, Italy, in December.

He was 14th at the Whistler World Cup last season but is driving a new sled this season.

"I love four-man just because I love my guys," he said. "I love the team aspect.

"It just feels good to be at the track and not to be three seconds down because you crashed the night before."

The four-man event runs Friday and Saturday with the fastest team over four combined runs earning gold.

Rush's four-man sled includes Brown and Chris LeBihan of Calgary and David Bissett of Edmonton.

Two-time Olympic medallist Pierre Lueders, 39, could also retire after these Games, though the Canada 2 pilot has yet to say anything definitive on the subject.

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In this file photo, Canadian bobsleigh athletes Lyndon Rush and David Bissett drive in the third round of four in the men's two man bobsleigh at The Whistler Sliding Centre, in Whistler, BC, during the 2010 Olympic Games.

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